holy cow
An exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Holy cow, that car is fast.”
“When she opened the door and saw the crowd, she said, "Holy cow, you guys actually came."”
“Standing at the canyon's edge and beholding the vast, painted cliffs below, he could only whisper, "Holy cow," the words inadequate against the immensity of the silence.”
disputed origin
Minced oath for holy shit, possibly partially based on the fact that cows are sacred in some religions (e.g. Hinduism).
- 01
cow juice
Cow’s milk.
- 02
have a cow
To get angry; have a fit.
- 03
holy buckets
An exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
- 04
holy catfish
Expressing terror, awe, surprise, astonishment, etc.
- 05
holy crap
An expression of amazement: holy cow, holy shit.
- 06
holy crap on a stick
Emphatic form of holy crap.
- 07
holy crickets
An expression of surprise or astonishment.
- 08
holy crud
holy crap; holy shit
Last updated August 10, 2026